Creamy Spinach Artichoke Soup

If you love the dip, try this soup.. my oldest daughter , who actually doesn't like the dip, LOVES this. There are many variations to it, you could add more broth and less cream, cut the cream out altogether and use whole milk, use more Parmesan to taste instead of the other 2 cheeses. Frozen, thawed spinach ( I would use two packages)  Whatever you desire.
There was enough left for lunch today and I think it was better than last night. A keeper for sure!

5 shallots, sliced thin
2 T olive oil
6 cups chicken broth
1 quart heavy cream
1 8 oz- block cream cheese, cut into small bits
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Romano cheese
1/4 cup Asiago cheese
1 cup white wine
1 large bag spinach, stems removed and chopped
2 cans artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
Chopped fresh parsley
Bacon, for garnish
Saute shallots in olive oil in large pot until light golden brown. Add chicken broth, heavy cream , cream cheese and white wine. Cook on med low, stirring constantly to melt the cream cheese, don't worry if there are little bits, it adds to the character of the soup. Add the spinach, artichokes and parsley and cook for about 10 min on medium heat.

Salted Caramel Bacon Chocolate Popcorn

The only regret with this recipe is not making another pound of bacon to throw in. I know I defiantly am scaring away some people with this pot, but I am telling you, bacon and chocolate are a match made in paradise. The sweet caramel and the semi-sweet chocolate combined with the salty bacon and a tad of sea salt. I GUARANTEE you can't eat just a little.

 First I popped popcorn. I did mine on the stove but microwave popcorn will do just fine. I did enough for a large pan so you might want 2-3 bags of microwave...
Place in large bowl, enough for mixing when the caramel is melted.
Melt in saucepan~
2 stick butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup ( light)
1 teaspoon baking soda.
1 1/2 lbs cooked , crumbled crispy bacon
1 package chocolate chips. I used 60 percent cocoa.
Sea salt
Bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Take off heat and add 1 teaspoon baking soda. Stir into large bowl of cooked popcorn, and mix thoroughly. Add bacon, and mix a bit more.
Melt chocolate chips in microwave for about 2 minutes, checking and stirring at one minute.  Lay popcorn out on a flat surface ( preferably 2 sheet pans) and drizzle chocolate. Place in fridge or on cool windowsill. ( But be careful of neighbors and little hands)

Bacon- Asparagus Roasted Red Pepper Strata

 I had originally made this for Thursday nights dinner for the family after failing to read the entire directions that it has to sit in the fridge for 2 - 24 hours. I am kinda glad I saved it for Friday because we ended up at Brenda and Kenny's( supposed to be gardening but somehow that didn't work out, LOL)

I adore her chickens. 

My beautiful daughter. 

I can't get over the look on Ryan's face!!

                               Brenda's son, Tim, with his twins. He certainly has his hands full!

                       Gail was the first one to comment on the aroma of the strata. Bless her heart.

• 3 Quart baking dish. I used my 15 x 10 cast iron dish.
  10 slices bacon, cooked till crispy and crumbled 
  1 pound fresh asparagus, ends cut off and sliced into 2 inch pieces 
  2 roasted red peppers, sliced
  1 vidalia onion, sliced thin
  12 slices dry white bread, I cut up as loaf of Italian bread and toasted the cubes. 
  2 cups shredded Smoked Gruyere
  2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
  10 eggs
  3 1/2 cups milk
  2 Teaspoons mustard , I used deli mustard
  1 teaspoon salt
  1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
  1/4- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  Lightly grease pan with spray or oil. 
  Combine bacon, asparagus, peppers, and onion in a bowl. Mix thoroughly. 
  Place half of the bread cubes in bottom of baking dish. Top with half the veggie mixture and half the cheese. Repeat with the rest of the bread cubes, veggies and cheese. 
  Mix together the 10 eggs, milk, mustard, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper and pour evenly as possible over the bread, cheese, veggie mixture. 
  Press down slightly. Cover and refrigerate 2-24 hours. 
  Preheat oven to 325. Bake approximately 1 hour or until puffy, lightly browned and set. 
  
  
  *Recipe inspired by BHG.com*
  
  

Bacon Wrapped Lobster Tails

On sale for 5.99lb again at Hannaford , I just could not help myself. You know how it is..

The method is pretty simple. Break the tail off ( yes, while it is still alive)  Also break off the claws and legs and save for later. Can be used in any seafood chowder recipe or lobster roll.
Crack the shell and carefully cut through the underside, right to the bottom of the tail, with kitchen scissors. Carefully peel the shell off.
Season with salt and pepper. Wrap with 2 slices bacon.
Place in 350 oven for 15 minutes. Set oven to broil and broil about 4 inches from heat till bacon is slightly browned.
I served with white rice with a dash of melted cream cheese and chives, and a garlic oil.

Sweet Bacon Wrapped Chicken

 My friend Kim gave me this recipe years ago, and it had been a family favorite since then.

It is so versatile, you can cut the chicken in smaller chunks and wrap with bacon or skewer by weaving the bacon in and out of the chicken on the stick. I highly recommend marinating in the chili powder/brown sugar/ garlic powder mixture for a couple of hours to let the flavors soak in. 

1 pound bacon 
1 1/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 4)
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

Cut chicken into 1" cubes. Slice bacon into 1/3 pieces. Wrap each cube of chicken with bacon a secure with toothpick.  Bake in oven at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until meat thermometer reaches 160 F.  Grill 6-8 min on each side . 

Fresh Tomato, Bacon and Cheddar Quiche

>We are lucky enough to live near Vermont, where some of the most wonderful local cheeses are made, including Cabot Cheese. We have access to the most wonderful cheddars and butter anywhere. I was giddy with excitement when i saw my local grocery was carrying Cabot’s Smoky Bacon Cheddar, i had heard of it but never had the pleasure . I would have loved to just sit down and devour the whole bar myself, but that wouldn’t be fair would it?
So i checked out the last of our tomatoes and there were some beauties left, (i do have a strange sense of loss and dread when summer ends, being in the Northeast, we have a very short growing season) and the wheels started turning … what about a savory pie or quiche? Sounds good to me! Hubby loves it, the kids aren’t too turned on by the onions and tomato, but what the heck, more for us, right?


1 unbaked pie pastry for 2 crust pie
4 large fresh, ripe tomatoes, sliced
1 large red onion, sliced thin
4 oz, 1/2 block of Cabot Smoky Bacon Cheddar Cheese
6 large eggs plus one, beaten, for basting the dough
1/2 cup half and half ( milk will work fine)
2 teaspoons dill
Salt and Pepper
Preheat oven to 375. Roll dough out and place in pie pan. Baste with beaten egg and place cheese on crust, add sliced onion and tomato.
Mix egg, half and half, dill, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and pour into pie crust. Top with remaining crust, and make vent holes. ( i used a moose cookie cutter) baste with beaten egg and sprinkle with salt.
Bake approxinatly 60-70 minuites or till eggs are set. Cool, slice and serve!

Maple Glazed Peanuts with Bacon

3 thick slices of bacon (3 ounces)
1 tablespoon thyme leaves, minced
1 tablespoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
3 cups unsalted roasted peanuts (1 pound)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
Preheat the oven to 325°. In a medium skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat until crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain, then finely chop.
In a medium bowl, mix the thyme, salt, Old Bay, cayenne and dry mustard. Add the peanuts, maple syrup and bacon and toss until the peanuts are evenly coated. Scrape the nuts onto a parchment paper–lined baking sheet and roast for about 30 minutes, stirring once, until the maple syrup has thickened. Let the peanuts cool completely, stirring frequently to break up any large clumps. Transfer the peanuts to glass jars or a large bowl and serve.

Bacon Love!

>Now who doesn’t love bacon? Thick-sliced, hearty-peppercorn,sweet and salty bacon? That’s just what you are going to get with this quick and easy recipe for breakfast,snack, or possibly a kicked up sandwich.
There’s only one problem. Double the batch.
This came from November-December’s issue of Hannaford Fresh Magazine
I made a cutsie little Bacon, Cheese, and Tomato Biscuit for lunch.


1 lb (12 to 18 slices) thick-sliced bacon (found in the Butcher Shop)
1/2 cup Light brown sugar packed
1 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste
1 pinch Black pepper, freshly ground
directions:
1. Preheat broiler. Place 6 strips of bacon on a rack on top of a broiler pan.
2. In a small bowl mix the brown sugar, chili powder, and pepper. Lightly top each strip of bacon with about 1/2 to 1 tsp. of the seasoned sugar mixture, patting it down to make sure it adheres well.
3. Broil for 3 to 4 minutes, or until crisp and brown, but not burnt. Keep a close eye on the bacon, as it can go from undercooked to overcooked and burnt in seconds.
4. Gently turn the bacon and sprinkle each slice with another 1/2 to 1 tsp. of the sugar mixture, pressing down lightly to make sure it adheres to the meat. Broil for another 3 to 4 minutes, or until the bacon is cooked to your liking.
5. Remove from the broiler and repeat with the remaining bacon and sugar mixture. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Source: Hannaford fresh Magazine, November – December 2010
Also, if you are in Hannaford, try their Natures Place All Natural Chicken Sausage.

I made this pretty “stir fry” with mine!

*Disclaimer* Hannaford provided a giftcard for me to make this post.

Cheesy Bacon Polenta

 After buying an overpriced bag of “polenta” , i quickly realized that polenta actually is just cornmeal. Pardon my ignorance… LOL.
 It is actually fun to learn new things everyday about food and all things culinary, and sometimes i am completely humbled by all there is to find out!!
I have never made or had polenta before….. you can also let it sit and cool in a pan, then slice and fry, FriedMush, or Fried Polenta.  Wow , what a concept!  So, for years after reading my friend, Kim’s recipe for Fried Mush, i finally broke down and made the first step. The polenta.   So easy, it’s crazy.
Basic recipe HERE, from Allrecipes.

8 Servings~~~~~
6 cups chicken broth ( or any broth you like)
2 cups polenta ( corn meal)
8 oz bacon, cut into LARDONS, sauteed till done, with fat reserved
1/2 sweet large sweet onion, minced, cooked with the bacon lardons
1/2 cup finely chopped chives
3 sage leaves, chopped fine
1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
 Cook the bacon lardons and onions together in large saucepan until bacon is crispy. Set aside, reserving fat.
Bring the broth to a boil over high heat, turn down to a simmer and slowly add cormeal, if you pour it too fast, it will be lumpy, NOT A GOOD THING!.  Add bacon fat, maybe about 1/4 cup if you aren’t calorie, artery clogging scared…( ohhh it adds so much flavor!) , chives, sage, salt and pepper. The amount of the spices really depends on your tastebuds, not mine
Cook, stirring contantly, adding water as needed for about 20-30 min , or until completely smooth. Add cheese. Still till melted. Serve. Garnish with extra cheese, bacon, and sea salt.
Tune in for the next blog when i attempt Friend Mush with the leftover chilling in the fridge.
Thanks so much for reading. If you have a polenta recipe, please post the link here or your recipe. I know we will be making this alot more around here!